Skylanders: The Untold Tails
by RainStorm14
Summary: A collocation of shots that dive deeply into character's pasts and personalities. They will focus on what makes them who they are and why the became what they are. I do my best to keep each character true to themselves, but everyone's views are different. Do tell me if you feel that one of my characters is off. Enjoy the Untold Tails!
1. Street Dog

**I had been planning to save this story for later, but I couldn't wait!**

 **Just so you are aware, I've modeled this Wolfgang more off of the "Skylanders Academy" version, cause I don't actually own the tap team game. Sorry if that bugs you.**

 **Enjoy the story!**

* * *

The streets of the underworld were busy. They were always busy. Ghosts and ghouls, skeleton and spirits, they were all going from place to place, carrying on with their undead lives. The square was the busiest. And loudest.

It was deep into the night, when the creatures of the underworld were most active. The skies were overcast with dark and dreary clouds, like they almost always were. Basically it was a typical day in the underworld.

Wolfgang hid it the shadows of a nearly deserted alley. Tonight he would have a little fun and relax. A single skeleton had wondered into this alley. He didn't look all that smart, but that didn't matter. He was oblivious to the presence of the nearby werewolf.

Calmly, Wolfgang brought his face into the gloomy light, smiling evilly at the little skeleton. It saw him, and recognised him. The was a faint chittering as the skeleton's bones trembled. It squeaked out a scream and ran form his as fast as his bone legs could carry him.

Wolfgang chuckled to himself. Of all the creatures from the underworld, skeletons were the easiest to terrify. He had yet to come across one that had any guts. They were generally stupid too.

He casually began to walk through the streets, his bone harp in hand. The doom raiders hadn't planned anything recently, so he had the whole night to himself. Occasionally he'd run across another skeleton or grim creaper and give them a good scare.

The news of his presence spread very quickly, raising some panic and confusion. The crowds it the busier areas of town began to thin out. No one wanted to be in the same five mile radius as Wolfgang. And he liked it that way. He could finally have some peace to work on his music. No shrieking ghouls and no squabbling doom raiders.

It only took an hour for every street, alley, and even the square to be deserted. At last he was completely alone. Leaning against the wall of a stone building, Wolfgang sat down and began to strum his harp. It was at times like this that he allowed himself to pick a more melodious song, as opposed to his usual blaring rock. And it was only at times like this did he allow his mind to wander to his past, to places he would never share with anyone. He played his song of melancholy, hardly aware of which strings his clawed fingers plucked. He was relying on on musical instinct to play this song as his mind drifted.

He had only joined the doom raiders two years ago. Correction, he had only created the doom raiders a two years ago, along with the Golden Queen and that deranged wizard, the Chompy Mage. It had been the best decision of his life, or at least he'd thought so at the time. They had managed to recruit an evil chef and a creepy... he actually didn't know what to call Dr. Crankcase. The most recent recruit was that dumb blue slug. Why the Golden Queen allowed him in was beyond Wolfgang. It didn't really matter, as now they were the most feared criminals of all of Skylands.

The being feared by all and the plundering was truly enjoyable. But then there was tolerating the other doom raiders. Oh sure, their combined abilities could do endless damage and all, like the Golden Queen kept telling them. But for some reason she expected him to obey her every whim without question. As if he was just gonna roll over on his belly like a good little dog!

And the noise. He just couldn't get away from it. All the squabbling and bickering and arguing was enough to dive any werewolf insane. And if he decided to sit and play his bone harp, they would start to pester him tirelessly to 'tone it down, like way down'. It was really hard not to put them all in a trance sometimes. His music took on an angrier tone as he fumed.

But now he was alone, in the quiet of the underworld. His home turf. It felt good to channel all his annoyances through his music, but now his mind took him back to a time further than the doom raiders, and his music softened. Before he was a villain, before a rockstar even, before-

A crash from around the corner snapped Wolfgang back to the present. He sat quietly, listening. There was some movement. He wasn't alone. He listened again. Deciding it wasn't any sort of threat, he spoke; "Come out," he said coldly.

It was a tiny vampire kid. She'd been hidden by a small crate that she was now looking over. She watched him curiously from where she stood, apparently unaware that he was a wanted criminal that she should avoid. Her skin was very pale, like most vampires of her kind, but had a pinkish hue. Or maybe he was imagining the hue because of her vibrantly pink hair. It was in some sort of fancy braid that ran along her head and down her back. There was probably a name for it, but Wolfgang didn't really care. Some of the hair had escaped the braid and formed a curly bang. Her eyes were a ember-like, a whitish pink in the center rimmed with purple in place of an iris. She had a scrape on one of her cheeks.

This could be fun. He wouldn't hurt the kid, but he would give her a good scare. "Well, well, what do we have here. A tiny baby vampire, all alone in the dark street." He enriched his voice with mock sympathy. He stood up to look bigger, although, even sitting down he towered over her.

Now, usually that would have been enough to make an adult drow elf pee his pants. Heck, the very _sight_ of him was enough to make an adult drow elf pee his pants. But the little vampire didn't seem to be very scared. In fact, she looked the opposite. She looked mad at him.

"Not a baby!" she said angrily. "I'm four." She held out three fingers to demonstrate.

"U-hu." She looked a little small to be four, but what did he know. He decided to sit back down. He was about to ask her what a four year old vampire was doing all alone in the street, but she spoke first.

"Can I see it?" she asked, pointing to his bone harp. Apparently she was already over her anger as she was once more curious.

The question caught him off guard. "You want to see my bone harp?" He looked at his handcrafted instrument laying at his side.

She nodded eagerly.

He shrugged and moved the harp in front of him. The vampire didn't hesitate to clamber over the creat she was standing behind and come over to him. Wolfgang's brain took a moment to register what he was seeing.

"Kid, what happened to your legs?" The girl was walking on her knees, for the rest of her legs were cut off at the near the top of the shins. She wore a black skirt and purple leggings, like anyone would expect a kid to where, but she also wore small knee pads to aid in walking. If you could even call it that.

She crawled up to him and sat on his leg. He was to shocked, by her appearance to even care. She pulled the bone harp closer and began to examine it. "Cool," she breathed. The piece was as big as the kid was, so she had a hard time getting a good view of it.. She traced the detailed carvings with her small fingers. "You make it?" She looked up at him with large curious eyes.

He couldn't help but feel a little softer tored her. No one, not even his fellow doom raiders had ever shown so much as a shred of interest in the instrument he had put so much time and pride in. "I did," he told her.

"You make me one?" she asked hopefully.

"Um, no." He lifted the harp out of her grasp as she reached for the strings. He set it down next to him. "Now I want you to answer my question. What happened to your legs."

She shrugged dismissively. "Mommy said I was born different."

So a birth defect, not some tragic event. "And where is your mommy?"

She shuffled a little uncomfortably. "I think I'm lost," she told him.

That was possible. He could easily imagine a small child getting separated from her parents as the panic and confusion of his presence drove everyone off. But it was also possible for her to have been abandoned. That wasn't uncommon it the underworld. A parent might easily decide he was tired of taking care of a kid, especially a lame one, and dup it in a street the first chance he got.

Either way, he didn't want the kid to become his problem. He had enough to deal with in his life. He stood up and brushed himself off. "This has been fun and all, but I've got places I need to be."

She grabbed onto his leg. "Can I come? You can help find-"

"No." He shook her off. He was a criminal mastermind. He did not help lost baby vampires find their parents. And if she had been abandoned, he wasn't about to give her false hope. The chances of a child her age surviving the streets of the underworld were slim. The chances of a lame child her age surviving were next to none. He might not want to kill her, but there were plenty of things that would. He started to leave.

"Wait!" The little vampire tried to run after him,but tripped over herself. He looked over his shoulder at her. She stayed on her hands and knees, not bothering to get up. A forlorn look crossed over her eyes. Perhaps she was smart enough to realize that she was in real trouble out here, and probably wouldn't find her parents. Her breath started to come short, and her eyes became watery. Wolfgang realised what was about to happen.

Crying is proof that she wouldn't be able to make it, Wolfgang told himself. It's a sign of weakness. But he knew he was telling himself a lie. After all, he'd been much older than this little vampire, and he'd cried.

* * *

 _Wolfgang hung onto his mother tightly. She loved him. He knew that to be true. That would always be true. She showed him and his twin brother all the love they could ever wan't. He let go of the embrace. "I've been practicing mum! Do you want to hear?"_

 _"Of course I want to hear." She love his music almost as much as she loved her children. Her fur was a dusty gold color, and her eyes were emerald green. They were a poor family, so she wore simple brown clothing. And her earring. The first gift his dad had ever given his mother. It was an emerald set in gold. She always wore the earring. Wolfgang wasn't entirely sure why. Maybe it was to remind her that father had once loved her._

 _Wolfgang began to strum, and his little sister came into the room. "I want to listen to!" She crawled onto her mother's lap. She had the same eyes as her mother, but her fur was black. She would often sing while Wolfgang played, but today she just listened. She swayed to the music, enjoying the rhythm. Nightsong was only seven, while Wolfgang and Sol were ten._

 _He continued to play for them. Occasionally he'de miss a note or is fingers would stumble, but no one seemed to mind. He had only started playing the harp a year and a half ago, so he was actually very good._

 _The door of the small house was opened. "Enough of that noise," a gruff voice said. Wolfgang turned to see his father slam the door behind him._

 _"It's called music," Wolfgang said to him._

 _The large werewolf snorted. "It's annoying and useless, just like you are," he growled. Wolfgang's dad was ragged and had russet orange fur. His eyes were as red as his lust for blood. He was nothing like his wife. He was her opposite. He detested the sight of his sons, yet still retained a slight contentedness with his daughter. Maybe she reminded him enough of mother, who he had once loved. Wolfgang wondered if he did anymore._

 _"Don't you talk to my pup like that," the she-wolf growled._

 _"He's my pup too. I can talk to him however I like."_

 _She growled warningly at him. Wolfgang's dad may be the head of the house, but his mother was no pushover._

 _Wolfgang watched his father go into his room, ignoring his family. He hated how much he looked like his father. His green eyes were the only indication that he wasn't his father's clone. Sol came in from waiting outside, apparently having made the wise decision to avoid father._

 _"Why does he hate us hate us?" Wolfgang asked his mother._

 _"Oh honey. He doesn't- he doesn't hate you. He just- has high expectations." She was trying to make him feel better, but it was hard to sugarcoat the vile truth. He knew she tried her best though, countering father's hatred with her love and care. Wolfgang hugged her, knowing he would be able to stand his life as long as she was there._

 _It would be the last time he ever did so._

 _The next day, Wolfgang was walking home from school with Sol and Nightsong, like they did every day. He opened the door, expecting to find mother waiting for them. Instead his eyes fell upon father, home early. Father was never home early._

 _Sensing something was off, Wolfgang asked, "What's happened?"_

 _Ignoring his question, the orange werewolf jabbed a finger at Sol. "You." He then pointed to Wolfgang, "And you. Go to your rooms and pack anything you want to keep." He turned to his daughter and said in a softer tone. "Nightsong, go to your room and stay until I come get you."_

 _Wolfgang wanted to protest. He wanted to question his father. But he also knew that now was not a good time to cross the huge werewolf. So instead he did what he was told, and Sol and Nightsong followed suit._

 _Wolfgang didn't own much. Clothing, a comb, a flute, some comics, music books, and of course, his wooden harp. He returned to the main room, along with Sol. His dad then handed them each a stuffed backpack with a sleeping bag attached. He gave the boys a curt nod. "Good. Now go."_

 _"Wait,_ what _!" Sol cried._

 _"You heard me. Go."_

 _"You can't do that!" Wolfgang said._

 _"It's my house. I can whatever I feel like." He turned his back on his pups._

 _Wolfgang grabbed onto his father's arm. "Where's mum!" he yelled._

 _The hulking werewolf turned and looked his son directly in his eye, and Wolfgang could see that it wasn't only his irises that were red. The fur below his eyes were wet. Never, from the time he was born to now, had Wolfgang ever known his father to cry._

 _"She's gone," he croaked out. "Dead! Died this morning! And I want nothing more to do with you." Wolfgang saw his sister behind his father. She was trembling behind the cracked door._

 _This couldn't be true. It couldn't be true. Unless..."Did you kill her," Wolfgang asked in a hushed voice._

 _"What?"_

 _"Did you kill her?" he said a bit louder. Wolfgang knew his father didn't love his family. He looked into his father's eyes. Horror etched onto the older werewolf's face._

" _Get. Out. Of. My._ Sight _!" the older werewolf roared the last word._

 _And Wolfgang ran. He and his brother didn't stop running until they were thoroughly lost and out of breath. It was then that the true enormity of what had just happened sunk in. And then he cried. He and Sol cried for hours that night. The night he had been abandoned._

* * *

Wolfgang looked down at the sobbing child. He should leave. He should leave now. He had made the decision to join the darkness long ago, had he had to live with it. Why was he even struggling with this?!

He couldn't do it. He couldn't bring himself to leave her there, alone. Maybe he didn't have to help her. He could just… tolerate her. That was acceptable in villany. Toleration was something he did all the time. He wouldn't help, he would tolerate. He'd probably regret this.

Having made up his mind, Wolfgang pulled out his smartphone and looked at the blank screen. He gave an exaggerated sigh and said, "Well, looks like ol Kranky's canceled on me, so I guess I can stay here a while longer." He was hoping his little fib would stop the kid's crying. It didn't work. Now what was he supposed to do?

Not knowing how else to handle the situation, knelt down and tried to pick her up. As he reached down, she backed up, trying to hold back the sobbs. She glared at him with mistrust and bared her fangs. He smirked at her cute attempt to look intimidating.

"Calm down," he told her. He reached for her again, and she bit him. She _bit_ him. Wolfgang looked down at the two small, stinging puncture mars on his hand. He, _Wolfgang_ , had been bitten by a tiny four year old vampire. That didn't happen every day. He looked back at her in amusement. "Kid, I'm not gonna hurt ya." Again he tried to to pick her up, but he approached more cautiously this time. She didn't try to fight him, as she realized there was nothing more she could do to make him stop.

Her entire midsection fit in his paw. Given, his paws were huge, but still. Wolfgang set the child on his lap. She'd stopped crying, thankfully, but was still breathing heavily. "We can sit here and see if your parents come by to pick you up," he told her.

She nodded. Then something he really didn't expect happened. She hugged him. "Thanks," she whispered in a hoarse voice. Oh great, he was already at the hugging stage. Despite himself Wolfgang smiled at the act.

It didn't take take long for the kid to brighten up (thank goodness) and soon she was asking him to play his 'stringy thing that made cool sounds'. Wolfgang obliged and picked up a more upbeat tune. She loved it.

Plenty of fans would cheer to Wolfgang's blaring rock music, but it had been a long time since he had met someone who enjoyed his less aggressive music just as much. But this kid seemed to like it all. Ok, maybe she was only four and hadn't developed much of musical taste yet, but he was still pleased with himself. He hadn't felt like this since- since mother and Nightsong.

"Why are you sad?" Wolfgang brought his attention back to the kid.

"I'm not sad," he said. "You are the one who was sad just a minute ago."

She ignored that. "Can you play blind?" she asked instead.

Wolfgang blinked, not understanding what she meant. "You mean, can I play with my eyes closed?" She nodded eagerly. "I guess." Wolfgang closed his eyes and began to play again.

"Cool!" she said once he finished. "Some time, I'm gonna be able to do something cool with my eyes closed!" She looked at him with large eager eyes.

"Really." Wolfgang said. "Like what?"

"Roller skate!" she said immediately. Wolfgang glanced down at the kid's deformed legs. "My big brothers say I'm not allowed to," she continued, pouting. "They say it's too dangress, and I'm too little, and that it's not a sport for little girls."

Wolfgang had a funny feeling that there was another reason, but he didn't tell her that. Instead he just said "It's dang-er-ous kid, not dangress."

"Whatever." Apparently she had an attitude to.

They stayed there for an hour or so, and the dark sky began to lighten. As he sat watching the kid play, Wolfgang thought of the craziest idea he had ever had. What if he kept the kid?

He watched her try to stand on the stub of her legs. He reached his hand out in time to stop her from face planting on the cement ground. It couldn't be that hard could it? He could train her in the ways of evil. That wouldn't be hard, as she was A: a vampire, and B: she already possessed some common personality traits found in villains. Like her how stubborn she could be, as Wolfgang was quickly learning. And C: she was still at a very young age, perfect time to turn her to the darkness.

Adopting a kid for the sake of companionship would give Wolfgang a very bad reputation among other villains. Adopting an apprentice on the other hand…

Again Wolfgang stopped the little vampire from falling. "Maybe you should stop doing that," he said.

"I can do it," she said determinedly and went back to trying to stand upright.

For a while, Wolfgang daydreamed about what it might be like if he kept her. He could already see the Golden Queen's face once she saw his new pet. There would be a lot of arguing, undoubtedly, but Wolfgang was sure he would be able to convince them in the end.

He knew she could become a truly terrifying force of evil. Even if she had pink hair. Growing up in the most evil band in all of skylands would turn out a very good villain. The doom raiders would be unstoppable.

The little kid had gotten bored with her attempts at standing to her full height, and was now pushing a small, empty crate closer to him.

What was he thinking? He couldn't take care Dr. Krankcase's lab rat, let alone a child. He couldn't even teach basic math! How did he expect to train her in the ways of evil?

Wolfgang stood up and stretched. The whole sky was gray now, so it must be pretty late in the morning. "Alright kiddo, let's go see if we can find where your family's gone off to." He reached down and scooped her up.

"Back ride!" she said.

Wolfgang shrugged and put her back down. He knelt low enough for her to climb on. "You sure you can get up there?" he asked as she went around to his back.

"Mm-hm." Wolfgang gritted his teeth when she dug her knees into his back and gripped his fur as she worked her way to his shoulders. Surprisingly, she didn't seem to have any trouble, though Wolfgang's back was gonna feel that later. She gripped his front shoulder spikes and sat down on his shoulders, ready to go. "Ok," she told him.

Wolfgang got up slowly, not wanting to throw the kid off. She kept a tight grip. He grabbed his bone harp and looked around the alley. He decided to head in the direction he saw the vampire come from. It wasn't much of a lead, as the kid probably zigzagged all over, but it was a start.

"Tell me if you recognise anything," he told her.

"I saw that box right there."

"Kid, there are boxes like that in every street."

"Ok. Umm, how bout that lamp?"

Wolfgang sighed. "Those are in every street to too."

"Alright. Thennn-"

"Just tell me when you recognise the place you last saw your parents," he said to her. He sensed that she would otherwise point out every familiar-ish speck of dust.

"Ok."

They continued walking in silence for a few minutes. The vampire would often lean way over to get a better view of the area. He kept thinking she would lean to far and fall off, but she managed to keep her balance each time, and Wolfgang began to relax a little as she continued doing this. He shifted his harp from one hand to another on occasion, as it was kinda heavy, especially with the added weight on his shoulders. Though, to be honest, the skeletal harp was probably heavier than the child.

"Go faster!" she told him after about ten minutes. Apparently the ride had already gotten boring for her.

"No," he said flatly.

"Aww. Why not?"

"Because I don't feel like running."

"That's not reason enough!"

"Yes it is."

She was silent for a moment. Probably pouting, Wolfgang guessed. "You can jump then!" she finally said.

"Do you want to fly?" he asked her. That's probably what would happen if he started jumping, no matter how tight a grip she had.

"Yes!" she said.

"No you don't."

"Yes I do!"

"No you don't."

"Then why you ask?"

"I expected you to say no."

"That's not fair!" She was silent again. "What does flying have to do with jumping?"

"You would probably fly off me if I jumped," he said.

"Nu-a. I can hold on."

"Kid, you've got no idea how high I can jump."

"Higher is more fun!" she exclaimed.

"Do you want a broken neck?"

"No."

"Then I'm not jumping."

"You're no fun," she decided.

"I know that."

Again they were walking in silence. The sky was still overcast with clouds, but it had gotten considerably lighter. For the underworld anyway. They didn't run into anyone, as almost all the undead creatures were in bed by now. Very few ever stayed up through the day.

As they walked, Wolfgang started to wonder what he would do if he didn't find the kid's family. Maybe… No. He couldn't keep it. He didn't want an annoying vampire anyway.

Wolfgang shifted his bone harp to his right hand again. He should have just left when he had the chance. That would have been smartest. It's what any other villain would have done. It's what his father would have done. And that's why he didn't do it. Wolfgang hated his father for what he did. And once he finds him again, he would kill him. Murder was about the only crime wolfgang had yet to commit, and he wanted his father to be the first.

Wolfgang looked around the grey town absently. The chances of finding any undead life at this time were very slim. The kid had been quiet for a while now, but that was fine with him. He didn't need her chattering in his ear.

He walked on. It occurred to him how weird it would look to any who was awake to see one of the most feared villains in all of skylands walking around with a four year old vampire on his shoulders. He was suddenly glad no one was around.

His problem still remained. What was he supposed to do if the kid's parents didn't turn up? He couldn't carry her around searching forever. Maybe he could find some place to drop her off at that would give her a chance. There weren't many places like that in the underworld, but there was bound to be a few somewhere. And if not down here, he could probably find an orphanage on the surface. Or…No, he told himself firmly. He couldn't keep her.

They walked another thirty minutes or so when Wolfgang noticed that the kid's grip had loosened. Setting down his harp, he reached up and grabbed her before she slipped off his back.

"Hmm?" she mumbled. Wolfgang held the kid out in front of him with both hands to look at her. Her eyes were half closed and she was limp in his grasp. She must have fallen asleep, he realized. He looked up at the cloudy sky. It was late in the morning, ten o'clock maybe. No wonder the kid was so tired. He could go days without sleeping (though never willingly), but for a toddler, this was more than she could handle.

When Wolfgang looked back down to the kid, he found that she was asleep again. Her eyes were closed and her breathing deep and even.

Now. Now was the time her should set her down and leave. He wouldn't turn back, and his life would go back to normal. Or he could go through with his 'find a safe place for her' plan, and then go back to his normal life. He should do it now. Now was the perfect chance, maybe his only chance.

But he didn't. Instead, he shifted the little child so that she was cradled in his right arm. Wolfgang picked up his bone harp with his left and kept walking. Maybe he would regret it, he probably would, but his mind was made up. If he couldn't find her family by nightfall, he would keep her. He liked her company better than the other doom raiders anyway.

He kept walking rather aimlessly. He knew he would probably hear anyone before he saw them, but there was no sounds to be heard. Then a thought struck him. The market square. That was the busiest part of every town in the underworld, and that was the most likely place for a kid to get separated from its parents if there was a panic. He had been walking in nearly the opposite direction.

Wolfgang turned around and retraced his steps. If her parents were looking for her they would be in the market square. Most likely. But if he didn't find anything…

It took another hour of walking to get there. Wolfgang himself was beginning to feel rather tired. He was definitely tired walking. It was probably about midday when the square was in view.

Before he even entered it, Wolfgang could hear voices. Panicked voices. Depressed and stressed voices. He had been right. They were here. The kid's parents.

Wolfgang felt a pang of disappointment. He hadn't realized how much he had wanted to keep the kid. What is wrong with me! He shouldn't be disappointed. He should be glad. He had succeeded. The kid would no longer be his problem.

He listened for a while, half hoping that he was wrong, and it was someone else entirely. He knew his hope was vain, and it became very apparent as he listened.

"She couldn't have just disappeared!" A female voice. She was yelling, but it was panicked yelling, not angry yelling. That must be the mother.

"We've looked everywhere." This voice was male, but it was too young to be the father. The kid had mentioned having brothers, so this must be one of them.

"You shouldn't complaining. It was _your_ job to watch her. And it's _your_ fault she's gone!" This voice was also male and also too young to be the father. Another brother then.

"I looked away for one minute and she was gone! That's not my fault! Then there was so much going on with all the panicked skeletons-"

"Get a grip _both_ of you," the mother said. "We aren't going to find her if you two sit there bickering all day."

Wolfgang looked down at the sleeping vampire child in his arms. There was no doubt. That was her family, and they were looking for her. Even though they were right there, Wolfgang still wanted to keep her. But that would never work, he rilised. Maybe if he didn't find her family it could have, but now that he had found them…

Wolfgang sighed and straightened himself. He gripped his bone harp firmly in his left hand, holding the kid with the other. Slowly he strolled into the market square, careful not to be loud. He was still top dog villain, and he planned to act like it.

The female vampire noticed him first. She recognised him immediately. She said something to the two younger vampire boys, who looked about fourteen and twelve. They moved so that they were behind their mother. The mother had purple hair held back in a series of hairbands. Her eyes were the same as the vampire Wolfgang was holding.

She glared at him as if daring him to come any closer, intent on protecting her boys. Then she saw what he was holding. She stared, wide eyed, at her sleeping child. When she looked back to Wolfgang, her expression said _very_ clearly that the only thing stopping her from attacking now, was the fact that he had her daughter in his arms.

Well, this could be fun. The kid hadn't been scared of him, but maybe he could mess with the mother. "I'm assuming that this is yours?" He inclined his head tored the kid, smiling wickedly.

The female vampire tensed and bared her fangs at him.

Wolfgang snorted. He was about to say something else when the kid woke up. Seeing her mother, she exclaimed "Mommy!" Seriously? Of all the times, she had to wake up now? Why couldn't he have fun for at least a few minutes?

Seeing that, with the exception of the scrape, her child was unharmed, the female vampire relaxed a bit. "Honey, don't move," she said in a serious voice.

The kid looked a little confused as to why her mother was upset. She looked at Wolfgang, hoping for an explanation. When she saw him, she seemed to remember something. "Mommy, this is my new friend!"

"Your new...friend?"

"Mm-hm. He was helping me find you."

"...really?" the adult vampire eyed him wearily.

Wolfgang shrugged. "I found her on the street."

"Nu-a! I found you!" she said angrily at him.

That was technically true, but he wasn't about to admit that. "Whatever," he said. "Anyway, you can have her back as long as you never mention this to anyone." Wolfgang really didn't want the news of this to get out. It would completely ruin his reputation.

She gave him a curt nod.

Wolfgang knelt to set the kid down, but before he could, she hugged him. _Again_ with the hugging? It would be really, _really_ bad if this got out. But he actually kinda liked it. Kind of.

"Thank you for pretending to cancile for me," she said. Wow. Had it really been that obvious? She let go of him and ran (sort of) to her mother, who immediately picked her up. The mother hugged her daughter closely.

Before anything else could happen, Wolfgang turned around and walked away. He didn't look back, and no one tried to stop him. He kept walking for a while. The streets now felt very lonely to him. They hadn't felt this way with the kid. The kid. It was only then that Wolfgang realized he had never bothered to ask her for her name. Common courtesy wasn't exactly his strong suit.

It doesn't matter, he told himself. It's not like I'm ever going to see her again…

* * *

Wolfgang leaned over a railing as he watched skylanders of various kinds fight against one another or against training dummies. As a sensei, he had to take his turn overseeing battle training. There wasn't much for him to do. If someone got hurt he would call a medic, or he could order someone to take on a tougher challenge. Pretty much, this was the most boring part about being a sensei.

Today, Wolfgang was watching one skylander in particular. He'd seen her before on the battlefield, but not very well. He'd had the funny sensation of deja' vu, but couldn't place his finger on it.

It had been years since he had even thought about the time he found the lost vampire. He never said anything to anyone about it. Life as a doom raider continued, and he didn't give the event a second thought. Although, for some reason he always felt more like tearing his victims limb from limb after that. It was something he couldn't explain.

Now Wolfgang watched as a pink haired, roller skating vampire sliced through battle dummies with ease. He had no doubt now. Never in a million years would he have guessed that that little vampire he had found all those years ago would become a skylander as an adult. But the proof was tearing down targets in front of him. Not only had the kid managed to become a skylander, but she was part of the elite superchargers team and had reached the rank of legendary. He was impressed. He'd never say that out loud though. He never told anyone that he was impressed.

While he recognised her, he wasn't sure if she recognised him. She hadn't given him so much as a second glance. If she didn't remember him from all those years ago, he wouldn't bring the subject up. It would be really embarrassing if his suspicions were wrong.

The session bell rang, and the training field began to empty as the skylanders went off to do whatever. Wolfgang stretched and started to leave when he heard someone skate up to him. Roller Brawl leaned against the railing, and they stared at one another for a moment.

"You really are that kid I found all those years ago," Wolfgang mused.

"Excuse me? I remember very clearly that I found you."

Wolfgang smirked. "And you still have stubbornness issues I see."

"Yeah, that's true," she said.

He grunted in amusement. "Alright kid." He pointed to the battle arena. "I want to see what you're made of."

"Ya sure? You might regret letting me live."

Wolfgang snorted. "I already regret that, so I've got nothin to lose."

She shrugged and skated over to the arena. Wolfgang followed behind her. People began to gather as they realised there was going to be a face off.

"Do me a favor," Roller Brawl said, "and don't go easy on me."

"In your your dreams kid!" She smiled at him, showing off her long fangs. He crouched low, ready for attack.

The foghorn sounded, and the battle began.

THE END

* * *

 **Please leave a review if you enjoyed this story. If you have a complaint, I WANT TO HEAR IT! I will take no offense to criticism. Most likely. So you know, dear reader, leaving a review, no matter how small, is really encouraging and gives a boost of motivation to write more. I'll still write without reviews, but I write faster with. ;)**


	2. The Darkest Mystery

**Okay, I know this note is very last minute, but it is only because I was trying to do my best to finish the story. Unfortunately, yet not entirely surprisingly, something came up. Family I had never met before visited my family for about ten days. Between work and entertaining guests, I lost a lot of writing time that I had been counting on. I tried to push to get it out, but forcing it was starting to hurt the story, and I don't want that. What I will do, however, is give you the first half of the story and scheduled the second half for August 14, in 12 days. The second story will come out along with the second half. Probably. Hopefully. Maybe. In any case, enjoy P1 of The Darkest Mystery!**

* * *

Nightfall scrapped some green, algae-filled mud out of the way to reveal yet another barnacle. Of all the parasites in the sea, barnacles were by far the most notorious. They latched onto everything, no matter how smooth the surface. She grunted as she chiseled away the small shell. It had been over a month since she'd thoroughly cleaned the underside of the Sea Shadow, and now she was regretting not having done it sooner. The sea shadow is a majestic deep-sea submarine with manta-ray fins and an abyss cannon. It is the definition of dangerously beautiful.

While she normally worked on her vessel in the garage, this job was simple enough for Nightfall to work outside. Of course, there weren't any lifts on the beach, so she was doing this part underwater. Being a dreadwalker, black humanoids with shadowy, tentacle-like hair, Nightfall was partially amphibious and highly apt to underwater conditions. The metal breathing mask helped too.

Not much had happened of late, so she'd been spending a lot of her spare time and a few skipped training sessions exploring the uncharted oceans. Because of the rift engines, the supercharged submarines could go deeper than any sub before, opening the gateway to several mysterious places.

Nightfall was currently missing one of Buzz's training sessions in order to do this chore. He'd be pretty mad with her, but he could cope. It wasn't that she disliked working out, but why spend two hours fighting dummies when you could spend two hours fighting sea monsters? She didn't get why Buzz always got so mad at her for skipping a session here and there. It's not like she was lazy. And besides, she did manage to show up at least twice a week. Usually.

 _Finally_ , she thought as she brushed away the last of the algae clinging to the Sea Shadow's underside. It dispersed into a green cloud as the current carried it away. She'd been floating on her back like that for the last hour and was ready to get out of the water.

The moment Nightfall breached the surface of the water, she knew something was off. She had that gut feeling that something big had happened while she was underwater. That, and also the fact that Astroblast was frantically running along the beach, looking for something.

"Asto!" she called out while swiftly making her way to shore, "What's going on? You didn't lose your keys again, did you?"

"Nightfall," he said, both relieved and out of breath, "Oh gosh, _gasp_ I've been looking _gasp_ everywhere for you! Why weren't you at training? What were doing under there!? Wait, no, never mind, don't bother," he said. "Just follow me. We need you _ASAP_!" Without waiting to see if she would follow, he took off toward the Skylanders' academy.

Understanding the urgency in his voice, Nightfall followed close behind the crystalline alien. "What's going on?" she asked again.

"An escape pod crashed on the other beach," he explained to her, weaving around a fence. "One of your kind's."

 _That_ caught her attention. "Who was in it?" she demanded.

"Haven't gotten names," he said. "An adult and kid. The adult's unconscious, but not badly hurt. He's in the infirmary right now. The kid's the reason we need you. She panicked the moment she saw us and hasn't calmed down."

"What's wrong with her?"

"That's the problem; no one can hold her still long enough to look her over, not even Sonic Boom. We think her mask might be broken, which can't be good."

It was originally believed that Nightfall's mask was only meant to allow her to breath underwater, until she told them differently. While it was true that it let her breath underwater, it wasn't why she always wore it. The cloudy mist that encased her village was poisonous, and although dreadwalkers had a strong resistance to it, the weren't entirely immune. Over time, the toxins could disorient their brains if they continuously breathed it in, causing them to go mad. To avoid this, her ancestors developed the gas masks they always wore outside and filter systems within buildings. There was a downside to the masks however: they filtered out all impurities in the atmosphere. Dreadwalkers have been breathing purified air for generations, from birth to death. Therefore, they've never had the chance to develop immunity to normal air. Nightfall did try to adjust her system once. Once.

"Poor child," Nightfall said. "She's probably never seen anyone who isn't a dreadwalker before." Nightfall's home was very isolated and, other than the library, there was no trace of other races on the island. Since the leviathan's attack, her people have been working to rebuild their city. She'd checked on them a couple of times, and everything had seemed alright. What could cause someone to flee so suddenly? Deciding to focus on the imminent situation, Nightfall asked, "How old do you think she is?"

"Can't be that old," Astroblast replied. "She's tiny, but that's all I know."

The huge structure of the academy came into view, and Nightfall ran ahead of Astroblast, using her dark hair for support. The sound of a child crying and screaming soon hit her ears. It wasn't the pinching-a-fit kind of screaming that Nightfall had become oh-so familiar with as a teenager, but a truly terrified cry that she'd only heard once before.

"Great, chipper'n fish chips, can't you hold her _still_!?" Maggs exclaimed in frustration. The academy's technician was trying her best to repair the little dreadwalker's mask while Punk Shock held her down, but the kid wouldn't stop screeming and trying to wriggle free.

"I don't want to hurt her!" Punk Shock shot back, equally frustrated. Sparks flickered off her long tail as whisked back and forth behind her. She was barely able to keep a grip on the kid, let alone hold her still.

Sonic Boom stood next them, vainly trying to sooth the panicked child. Normally kids were very responsive toward her, but this one hardly even noticed her. Several other skylanders stood around the scene and watched, ready to help but not sure how.

Nightfall had to admire the kid's will to fight back so fiercely, even though it would be much easier if the kid cooperated. The gathered skylanders parted to let her through as she swiftly moved toward the crying child. She couldn't say she was particularly good with kids, but she'd been around enough of them to know that most kids of her kind viewed all adults as perfect, mother-like or father-like figures. That's part of what came from such an isolated world.

As soon as the child saw Nightfall, she began to fight even harder to escape Punk Shock's grasp, straining for the familiar being.

"Let her go," Sonic Boom hissed, and Punk Shock complied with evident relief.

As soon as she was free, the little dreadwalker dashed to Nightfall. Setting her usual dignity aside, Nightfall knelt down and allowed the terrified kid crawl into her arms. She clung onto Nightfall's jacket with small fists as though her life depended on it, large white eyes staring forward in a stunned manner, her breathing short and fast. She was trembling. Nightfall allowed her dark hair to fall in front of them, create a small barrier for the kid to hide under.

Now that she was holding her, Nightfall could get a better look at the kid's features. The most noticeable thing was her hair. As opposed to Nightfall's black and lavender hair, this little kid's was a range of vivid blues, from midnight to aquamarine, and it only fell a little past her shoulders. Her skin was black like all dreadwalkers, as were her eyes white. She looked to be around three or four. Nightfall tried to shift the kid so that she could get a better look at her face, but the young dreadwalkers grip only tightened. Nightfall clenched her jaw as the kid's surprisingly strong grip grabbed a little more than just her jacket.

Once the kid had stopped shaking and hyperventilating, Nightfall started to look her over for injuries. Fortunately, it all seemed to be minor bruising. Her mask had indeed been damaged; a small pipe was hanging loosely down her neck. Unlike Nightfall's, the kids mask was a simple, lightweight design. It was also covered in sparkly blue and purple rhinestones.

Nightfall parted her hair enough for her to see everyone, but not enough to let the child see out. "What do I do now?" Nightfall asked, mostly directing the question to Sonic Boom.

"Well, is she alright?" Maggs asked, getting straight to business.

"You mean other than being traumatized for life?" Nightfall raised an eyebrow. "Her mask needs to be fixed. Soon. She should be fine after that."

"Great," Maggs said. "See if you can get it off her an' I'll have it fixed in a jiffy."

"No, do not try to get it off her yet," Sonic Boom gave Maggs an irked look and fluffed some of her dark feathers. "Start by asking her name."

"Her name!?" Maggs scoffed. "That's hardly a priority if the kid's life could be on the…uh..." Maggs faltered under the momma gryffon death glare she was receiving. "You know what, Nightfall? Do as she says."

Sonic Boom gave a satisfied nod. "And as for the rest of you," she turned to faced the onlookers, "shoo. We'll give you an update when there's news to be had, but we don't want to overwhelm the little one again." She ushered them all off until she, Maggs, and Nightfall were the only ones left.

Nightfall returned her attention to child she was holding. The kid looked up at her large, trusting eyes, causing Nightfall to feel a pang of regret for not having any idea as to what she was doing. She really was not qualified for child care.

"Can you tell me your name?" She asked as gently as she could. The kid only stared at her. Nightfall looked back to Sonic Boom helplessly, and the gryffon motioned for her to keep trying. "What's your name?" she asked again, doubtful that it would receive a better response. To her surprise, however, the kid spoke.

"Azul," she whispered hoarsely.

 _Azul_ … Nightfall thought. That name rang a bell, but she couldn't quite place it. "Okay, now what?"

Sonic Boom sighed, "You really have no idea what you're doing, do you?"

"Not a clue," Nightfall admitted. She felt Azul shift her position a little, trying to peek out at what was going on. Nightfall moved her hair over to let the kid see, but Azul only ducked back under.

"Ahem," Maggs cleared her throat to draw their attention. "Her mask? Didn't you say we need get it fixed real soon?"

"Alright," Sonic Boom said reluctantly. "Do you think she's calm enough to let Maggs fix it? Or will we have to take it off her?"

"Why do they want my mask?" Azul whispered to Nightfall, but was loud enough for everyone to hear. She looked up at her with a worried gaze.

"Have you noticed that your mask is broken?" Nightfall asked her.

Azul nodded. "Is that why the air tastes funny?"

"Yes, that's why the air tastes funny. And if you keep breathing funny air... well… let's just say you'll get a tummy ache."

"I don't like tummy aches," Azul whimpered. She started sniffling, and Nightfall realized she was getting ready to cry again.

"No, no! Don't cry! You'll be alright, we just need to fix your mask and everything will better!" This isn't working...Nightfall could feel herself getting frantic as the kid continued to breath heavily. "But we need you to be brave so we can fix it. Can you be brave for me?" Please don't cry, please don't cry, "Can you be brave Azul?"

The little dreadwalker nodded and tried to control her breathing, despite the tears running down her cheeks. Not sure what else to do, Nightfall awkwardly hugged the kid. Azul leaned into it, resting her head on Nightfall's chest.

"Well, you actually handled that quite well, Nightfall," Sonic Boom said with a smile. "Who knew you had it in you."

"This is a one time thing."

"M-hm, sure it is."

Nightfall rolled her eyes and decided to ignore the griffon. "Alright Azul," she said after a few more moments, "you see those two girls?" Nightfall pulled her hair away to fully exposing the kid. Azul's face paled as she stared at Maggs and Sonic Boom. Her grip on Nightfall tightened. "Those are some of my friends," she continued to explain calmly. "They want to help fix your mask so you don't get a tummy ache."

Azul stiffened as Maggs slowly approached, but at least she wasn't kicking and screaming anymore.

"I swear I ain't gonna hurt ya, little one," Maggs knelt down across from Nightfall. "I just wanna take a look at that mask of yours." She pulled out a few small tools and started working. Azul sat petrified as she did so.

"Talk to her," Sonic Boom whispered to Nightfall. The black gryffon had crept around to stand by her shoulder.

"About what?" Nightfall whispered back.

"Anything, just keep her occupied."

"So, uh, Azul," Nightfall tried, "can you tell me why you were in an escape pod?'

"Oh gosh, Nightfall, no! Not that!" Sonic Boom rubbed her forehead with a paw.

"You said anything!" Nightfall hissed. She needed to know what had happened.

"A monster," Azul said with a hushed voice. "A really big one with lots and lots of teeth."

"What kind of a monster?" Nightfall asked.

"In the water. It was big and scary," Azul said.

"Did you see the monster?"

"No," she sighed. Nightfall heard a hint of disappointment in her tone.

"All done," Maggs declared. "That wasn't too bad now, was it?" Azul just stared at her. "Ahem, alrighty then." She looked at Nightfall and Sonic Boom. "We should get her to the infirmary now, let someone who has the medical know-how take a look at her."

Sonic Boom nodded in agreement and Maggs stood up. Nightfall hoisted Azul up with her and followed the other two back toward the academy. They had just started climbing the front steps when Spyro swooped down in front of them.

"Glad to see you managed to calm the kid down," Spyro nodded to Nightfall. "I just came to let you know that I've put your put your team in charge of this situation cause, well—"

"I'm the only dreadwalker you or anyone else here has ever seen," she finished for him.

"Exactly! Perfect mission for you," Spyro said. "The driver woke up not too long ago. He's out back with Spitfire, Astroblast, and Stormblade, so you should probably go meet up with them as soon as you can."

"Azul said that they were attacked by some sort of sea monster. Has he said anything about that?" she asked.

"He did," Spyro said. "He said it was something they have never seen before: giant, rather flat head and large jaw, light Blue and yellow, tall dorsal fin, four small eyes, silver horns... any of that ring a bell? If anyone could identify a sea monster, it's you." He looked at her expectantly.

 _You. Have. Got. To. Be. Kidding me!_ Nightfall mentally slapped herself. "You mean a sea mammoth?" she said, exasperated. "The most pathetic, harmless giant in the ocean? Yes, I know what that is." One day she was going to write a book that very clearly stated what sea creatures were dangerous and worth evacuating the city if spotted, and what wouldn't harm you if you shot a rocket at it. "Take Azul," she said, handing the child to Sonic Boom. "I need to have a chat with this driver."

Nightfall departed from the group and made her way to the open field behind the academy. She was glad her kin were safe, she really was, but she was also frustrated with how helpless they were against outside forces. They weren't a dumb species and the fishermen were apt to spear a barracuda here and there, but that wasn't enough especially now that her home has been exposed to the rest of Skylands. _They can't keep living their isolated life anymore,_ she thought. _I'm no longer around to protect them from every misfortune that threatens to breach the surface. Maybe they hadn't been in real danger today, but what would happen if something did happen? What would they do then?_ Nightfall was so deep in thought that she hardly noticed her surroundings, and it wasn't until she bumped into someone that she realized she'd reached her destination.

It was the other dreadwalker, the one who had crashed the escape pod. "Nightfall," he stated in surprise as he recovered from their collision. He was a little elevated to actually recognize someone. He was taller than she was and his brown hair was short and in very thin strands, like most male dreadwalkers.

"Keith," Nightfall's shock mirrored his.

"Oh, well this is a good sign," Spitfire murmured to Stormblade. "If they know each other, then-"

Nightfall's stunned expression morphed into one of rage and deep, heartfelt loathing. "Of all the scumballs to have washed up onto our shore, it just _had_ to be you!"

Spitfire's words died off.

The other dreadwalker, Keith, deflate inwardly. "You still hate me," he sighed, disappointed.

"That's putting it _very_ nicely," she said coldly.

There was an awkward silence as the two dreadwalkers stared at each other. Spitfire, Stormblade, and Astroblast exchanged wary glances.

"So, um," Keith directed his attention to all the skylanders, "what are we going to do now?"

"If it were up to me," Nightfall hissed, "I'd gut you like a fish, drag your carcass down to the deepest abyss in the sea, feed you to a hydra hatchling, then blast it into oblivion. Lucky for you, you've stumbled across Skylanders Academy and it isn't up to me." Nightfall whipped around to face her teammates. "You guys deal with him," she growled before storming off toward the docks.

"Dang," Stormblade said once Nightfall was out of earshot, "I've seen her treat trolls nicer than that. What did you do?" She looked at Keith expectantly.

Keith's gaze was still fixed on the female dreadwalker's diminishing form. "Something really stupid," he said sadly, "and completely selfish."

"You weren't her boyfriend, were you?" Stormblade folded her arms and scowled at him, which was a rare look for the lark.

"What? No! No, it was never anything like that," Keith said. "We had been close though."

"I'm not going to ask for specifics, but did you ever apologize?" Spitfire asked.

Keith shook his head. "By the time I finally got the courage to talk to her again, she was always out with that submarine. Hardly ever saw her, let alone talked to her. She did leave a lovely poisonous eel on my bed once."

"Well, knowing Nightfall," Astroblast said, "None of us are going to see her again tonight. You might want to try talking it over tomorrow once she's cooled off. She might be willing to forgive you if your sorry , if your like me, she'll just try to kill you."

"I doubt she'll forgive me," Keith said, "but thanks anyway. Can we get back to the bigger problem now?"

* * *

Nightfall had no idea where she was, and she honestly didn't care as long as it was far away from home. She'd been jumping from island to island for a while and only now allowed the Sea Shadow to slow to a halt.

Her heart was pounding and she was shivering, though she didn't know why. She wasn't even entirely sure why she had been so desperate to get away, why she was trying to hide from something that didn't hurt anymore. That wound closed many years ago, she'd forgotten it. She had found her real home now, her real family.

Nightfall slumped onto the front of the Sea Shadow as the cockpit slid back. She watched the water lap at the lavender paint of her beloved submarine. The island was small and almost all of it consumed by the lake. Only a few pieces of land and foliage poked up around the corners, with a few small hills on the far end. The sky was dusted with grey; a waring that dusk would soon arrive.

Her real family… Nightfall never doubted that her parents loved her, and she couldn't deny that if something were to happen to them, she'd be heartbroken. At the same time, however, she never felt truly close to them. She knew they listened, they heard her, but now matter how they tried they never understood her. She would be forever grateful that, despite this, they always supported her and allowed her to forge her own path. She never had any siblings, nore did she ever long for one. Not then, anyway.

Her mind drifted to those last few years before the Leviathan attack. She'd been fairly content with her life then. She wasn't happy with it, but she'd be alright as long as she had free reign of the sea. The other dreadwalkers had accepted who she had become and recognised her work as beneficial, even crucial, to the city's welfare. There were never opposed to her presence or enthusiastic about it. She just kind of was. _In between_ _,_ Nightfall thought. _Not hated, not loved, just there._ She never understood why. She had some friends, but they were like empty ponds. They were nice, they were friendly, and she liked them, but not much happened in those ponds. There were no fish, no plants, just an occasional seashell poking through the mud, barely visible. She was never close to them. She was happiest exploring the poison sea, yet something always drew her back. Why didn't she just leave? Why not continue following the current forever? Why not search for a place that would make her truly happy? She'd played with the idea a couple of times, but always knew she would come home. Why? Because she didn't want to be alone. There was a memory, a memory of a friend that was deeper than all those glassy puddles. He was more like a lake with some fish floating around and grass growing at the bottom. The shells in his mud still had snails and crabs carrying them around and would occasionally come to the surface. She learned long ago that most people were happy to live their lives as shallow puddles, without much meaning or purpose. They were hard to get close to for one simple reason: there was nothing to get close to.

But there were some, some like her, who's minds were entire oceans. That's one of the many things that seperated the Skylanders from ordinary folk. That was one of the reasons so many of them had become skylanders in the first place. They had all found more to themselves than the ordinary social norms. They had found themselves and in doing so found a reason to fight. Every skylander Nightfall had met immediately showed signs of an ocean. There was truely someone there.

It hadn't come naturally, but Nightfall became close to those oceans, her team, her family. Life was rarely simple or straightforward or even understandable with them, and she liked it that way. There were always new things to discover about her friends just like there were always new things to discover in the sea. And she was a part of it.

Thinking back to her old life, Nightfall knew it would be agony to return to it. Visiting her parents for a week was alright, enjoyable even. But to truly return to the past after all she had seen and been through, after all the people she had met... she wouldn't be able to do it.

As the sun retreated the current became more aggressive. The Sea Shadow rocked back and forth in a soothing manner and Nightfall's thoughts turned to that lake who was one a friend... before his waters dried.

It had been a long time, very long time since she'd thought about Keith. Oddly, she found it more painful to think about all the good memories rather than his betrayal, but there was no stopping the flood now.

 _"—and just as the young princess thought things couldn't get any worse, a hideous monster reared up from the sea!"_

 _Nightfall gasped in excitement. "What kind of monster is it?" She tried to climb onto the couch in attempt to see the pictures, but she wasn't quite big enough._

 _"Like this," Keith said confidently._

 _"It only says a hideous sea monster," Nightfall's mother said as Keith demonstrated how to get onto the couch._

 _"Does it have a nest full of treasure?" Nightfall tried to imitate her friend, but still couldn't do it. Her mom flipped the book around so she could see._

 _"I don't know, honey. It doesn't say."_

 _Nightfall frowned at the picture. "It only has one head. Is is a sea dragon?" She had heard of dragons, but had only seen a picture once and that was a fire dragon. This picture didn't look like that dragon at all, but sea dragons were supposed to be different, right?_

 _"I really don't know," her mother sighed. "Wouldn't you rather like to know what happens to the princess?"_

 _"The hero swoops down and saves the day!" Keith exclaimed and dove off the couch._

 _"Not if the monster eats him first," she said and pounced on him._

 _"Don't touch me!" he complained._

 _"Why not?" Nightfall asked in confusion; they wrestled all the time._

 _"Because your a girl!" He said as if it should be obvious._

 _Nightfall got a smug look and began to jab at him from all angles._

 _"Stooop iiiit!" Keith whined while trying to run away._

 _"That's enough both of you," Nightfalls mother scolded. She wrapped her daughter in her hair and lifted Keith in her arms. "I think that's enough story time."_

It hadn't been long after that that her parents, having realized she had no interest in fairy-tales, brought home a book about the fish that lived closest to the shore. Nightfall remembered how excited she had been that day. The rest was a fuzz, but she knew that the book never satisfied her curiosity. She began to collect shells and teeth around the age of seven, but after a couple of years she started to run out of new things to find...

 _"Look at this one!" Keith pulled a crab out of the water with a big grin. "It's so ugly."_

 _Nightfall came over to see what he found, but was disappointed with what she saw. "Those are everywhere," she complained. "Were trying to find new ones."_

 _"I know," Keith said, "but it's all the same. How are we supposed to find anything new when we aren't even allowed in the water?" He tossed the crab into the waves._

 _"That's it!"_

 _"What? Wait… Nightfall, what are you doing!"_

 _She'd waded out into the ocean until she was waist deep, and was peering into the murky water. "I think I see something!" she cried and went out a little further._

 _"Nightfall, come back!" Keith cried. "You're not supposed to be in the water for a reason!" He came as close as he could without getting his feet wet._

 _"I think it's some sort of shell," she yelled back, completely ignoring his protests. The water was now up to her chest. She looked at the light rose and lavender object, barely visible through the mud. She'd never seen such a large or brightly colored shell. Most of the ones she found were small and musty. She took a deep breath and dove underwater._

 _Wow, was all she could think. It was clearer than she expected, and she could examine the shell in detail. It was a large swirling disk with ridges on the outer rings. It was mostly a sunset pink, but wavy streaks of aqua and lavender shot through it every now and then. Nightfall looked into the mouth of the shell without touching it to see if there was anything alive still inside. She didn't see anything, so she lifted it out of the mud, causing a cloud of dirt to rise up. She stared, transfixed, at the majestic object. It wasn't until the dirt began to clear that she noticed the two cold eyes glaring at her._

 _Her heart froze as she locked eyes with it. Gold irises surrounding jet pupils. It's face was long and pointed and the jaw hang open just enough to reveal rows of razor teeth. It's whole shimmering body slowly curled to and fro, barely stirring the water in that moment before it pounced._

 _As the monster snaked forward, Nightfall felt herself being yanked from the water. She screwed her eyes shut to block out the torrent of bubbles and water as the sea creature and person who had grabbed her thrashed about. When she opened them, there was no sign of the monster and she had dropped the shell. She slowly looked up to meet her father's furious glare._

* * *

 _"Don't be mad!" Keith pleaded as soon as she entered the room. "You were down so long, and I- well I just thought- maybe something was wrong and I- I didn't know what to do-" Keith stumbled over his words as he tried to explain._

 _Nightfall gave him a quizzical look. "I'm not mad," she said plainly. Why was he acting so frantic?_

 _"You're- you're not?"_

 _"No," she replied. "Why would I be?"_

 _"Because you're in a lot of trouble?" he tried, not quite believing how relaxed she was._

 _"Maybe," she admitted, "but if you hadn't warned someone, I'd be dead."_

 _"Um, what?" his said, not sure if he'd heard her right._

 _Nightfall perked at this. "They didn't tell you?" she asked, getting excited. He shook his head in bewilderment. "It was amazing!" she said. "The biggest fish I've ever seen!" Nightfall began to recount her whole underwater experience, from the shell to the moment her father pulled her from the water._

 _Keith listened intently to her fascinating tale, although, he was pretty sure she was exaggerating some parts. "Man," he said once she had finished, "It's too bad you lost the shell; I'd like to see it."_

 _Nightfall grinned deviously and put a finger to her lips. She shifted her hair and revealed the sea's treasure._

 _Keith gasped._

 _"I managed grab it on the way out," Nightfall whispered. She climbed onto her bed and stared at her new treasure. "They don't know about it," she said referring to her parents. "And I don't want them to. Not yet."_

 _"Well no kidding." He sat down beside her. "You're in so much trouble that I doubt I'll see you for a month!"_

 _Nightfall shrugged, not really caring. "I wonder what else is out there," she mused._

 _Keith shot off the bed. "You're not thinking of going out there again, are you?!"_

 _"Not anytime soon," she said to calm him down. "When I'm older. When I have a way to protect myself."_

 _"But what if you run into that sea monster again? Or worse?"_

 _"Hence the part where I have a way to protect myself," she said. "You worry way too much, Kieth. Think of all the treasure that might be down there! And I'm talking about more than just seashells."_

 _That got his curiosity. "You really think there's sunken treasure to be found?"_

 _"Loads of it! There's a whole 'nother world right outside this tower, and it could be ours! We could bring our other friends too!" She fantasized what life would be like if they were free to roam the oceans. "We could battle monsters and hunt the best fish in the sea! That is of course," she added slyly, "unless you want to grow up to be a fisherman. I'm sure that's fun too."_

 _Keith gave her a glare. "No way!" he said. "There's no way I'm gonna be stuck on a smelly boat! I want to go treasure hunting! But how are we going to do it? It's not like we can breath underwater._

 _That gave Nightfall pause to think. "I don't know," she finally said. "Maybe we could train a porpoise to pull a boat underwater…_

* * *

 _Nightfall pressed all her weight onto the wrench to ensure that the nut was secure. "That should do it!" she announced._

 _Keith looked up from his phone and looked at Nightfall, then the metal construction beside her. "What is it?"_

 _"A sort-of super capacitor, to put it simply," she replied._

 _Keith gave her a blank look._

 _Nightfall sighed. "It stores energy. You know, I sometimes wonder how you manage to pass."_

 _"Pfft, and I often wonder how you manage to stay awake. Seriously, that class is a drag."_

 _She shrugged. "Whatever it takes."_

 _Keith watched as Nightfall rechecked all the seemes of her capacitor. "Has it occured to you that everyone else thinks you're a little obsessed?" he said suddenly._

 _It was Nightfall turn to give him a blank look. "No." She continued with what she was doing._

 _"Seriously," Keith pressed, "people find it, well, a little weird. It was fun and all when we were kids but…"_

 _Nightfall sighed as she put the device away. "I know what they say about me," she said. "Let them think what they want, it really doesn't affect anything." She knew that her friend cared about social status a whole lot more than she did, but she couldn't understand why. What did it matter what others said or thought? They weren't worth thring to appease._

 _"It affects everything!" he protested. "I'm barely noticed by anyone, and they think you're diluted." He slumped tiredly against the wall. "What's the point of doing anything if no one cares."_

 _Nightfall was baffled about this. "I care," she pointed out and folded her arms. "Our families care. Lots of people care. And no, not everyone cares about what we're doing, but that doesn't make it meaningless."_

 _Keith shook his head as though he knew it was futile to try to reason with her. "I'm tired of being—" he stopped himself._

 _"Lame?" Nightfall offered. "Outcast? Forgotten? But by whom? Those idiots who think they rule this generation?"_

 _"You wouldn't understand," he muttered._

 _"What don't I understand?" Nightfall insisted. "That being in with the "cool group" will make life infinitely better? Suddenly you'll be important?" she said sarcastically. "They aren't worth it, Keith."_

 _"You just don't get it," Keith said in frustration. He left the room, slamming the door of the workshop behind him with a clang. The metallic ring echoed in her ears. It began to pulse, to ebb and flow, to shift, to break. It sounded less and less like a ring and more like the constant shift of water…_

* * *

Nightfall opened her eyes to find the early grey of dawn staring down at her. Yesterday must have rattled her more than she realized for her memories to so vividly enter her dreams. She was glad she woke up when she did; she had no desire to relive what came next.


End file.
